1/56th Scale PaK 36 AT Gun with Crew

Rubicon Models have come up with a kit that allows gamers with a German force to field an important development in the growth of anti-tank weapons. The PaK 36 anti-tank gun was initially designed as a horse-drawn, lightweight weapon. However, as the German army became more motorized, it was re-designed to be towed by vehicles. First used during the Spanish Civil War, the weapon saw service with German, Italian, Finnish, Hungarian and Chinese forces during World War Two. It was replaced by the PaK 38 in 1941, but still served as support artillery which was added to the 251 halftracks. Later, the introduction of the Stielgranate 41 hollow charge grenade meant that this lightweight, easily transportable weapon could penetrate the armour on most Allied tanks.

The kit itself consists of a single frame but can actually be used to create two versions of the weapon. One is a field-deployed version with a crew and the other is a vehicle-mounted version intended to fit onto the SdKfz 250 / 1 halftrack kits available from the company. A useful addition is an extra crew, ammunition boxes and pieces to create a Stielgranate 41 to place on the gun barrel. The kit itself consists of remarkably few main parts and some fairly small parts but actually seems quite simple to assemble. You may also create the weapon with a full or half gunshield and the crew have separate heads, allowing for some variance of nationality. The assembly instructions are very clear and assembly would be pretty rapid.

The fact that there are two guns in this kit is useful, although it would perhaps be more useful for gamers to have the parts to create two field deployed versions. Nevertheless, another useful and unique kit from this very active company.